Children’s safety and lives at increased risk due to destruction of schools and health centers in Goma, World Vision warns

GOMA (February 7, 2025) –As conflict continues in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) city of Goma, global Christian humanitarian organization World Vision is urging parties to return to dialogue and protect children from the effects of the violence.

“This humanitarian crisis is set to devolve into disaster,” said David Munkley, World Vision’s head of operations in eastern DRC. “We fear that the destruction of displacement camps is only the beginning of even darker days ahead as this conflict escalates across North and South Kivu. And along with it will come an even larger surge of people fleeing for their lives, in desperate need of protection, food and shelter. We need leaders around the world to make a real push for peace as humanitarian agencies continue to plead for unrestricted humanitarian access to meet growing needs.”

The recent surge in violence has internally displaced over a half million people since the beginning of the year, in a country where 6.7 million people were already internally displaced.  World Vision is warning that, with hundreds of schools and health centers destroyed, child protection and health systems are severely compromised, putting children’s health and well-being at an even higher risk.

“Violent conflict leads to two kinds of deadly trauma. There are casualties from guns and bombs, but the secondary aftershocks created by the destruction of hospitals and schools can be deadlier still,” said Munkley. “For example, we are extremely concerned about the outbreak of deadly diseases like tuberculosis and measles because many children have now missed routine vaccinations. The international community must support humanitarian agencies to protect and support the millions of children whose lives and health are threatened across the country.”

World Vision is calling on all parties to implement a humanitarian pause to allow families a chance to travel to safety and access urgently needed supplies, and for leaders to engage in meaningful dialogue to lay the foundations for peace.

About World Vision:
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity or gender. For more information, visit worldvision.org or follow on X @WorldVisionUSA.